


You'll Always Be My Angel

by SuperAwesomePandaKitty



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Caring Sam, Family, First Time Fluffy Smut, Fluff, Human Castiel, Incomplete so far, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-12-22 20:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperAwesomePandaKitty/pseuds/SuperAwesomePandaKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas has become human, Dean becomes protective when they go to stop a Zombie outbreak. Fluff as well as a little bit of angst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Supernatural :)
> 
> I'll be updating as often as I can but I have a lot of college work to get through :)

Dean was sipping his cup of coffee at the Batcave, Sam walked in saying goodbye to someone on the phone. Dean looked up questioningly as Sam sat down to eat some French toast Dean had made.

"Who was that?" Dean asked curiously.

"That was Garth, he said that there was an outbreak of Zombies in Georgia." Sam said worriedly.

"Well we're two states away, couldn't he get someone else?" Dean asked again.

"Believe it or not, we're the closest ones, he's called others too but we need to go soon." Sam said sighing, reaching over for another slice of toast.

Dean was about to say something more but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Both Sam and Dean looked at each other curiously, lifted their guns and walked slowly to the door. Dean opened the door slowly, gun raised, when he realised who it was, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the gun.

"It's just Cas, jes' you scared us man. You didn't need to knock you normally just show up." Dean said looking at Cas worriedly.

Castiel's breathing was fast, his face was a bit red and his hands where white, it was freezing outside. "You don't like it when I just show up, it startles you. I thought I should knock this time."

"Cas? What's wrong with you? You're freezing!" Dean said worriedly, Sam looked at Cas curiously as well.

"I'm fine Dean don't worry." Cas said, he walked over to the table and lifted a slice of French toast and began to eat it quickly, causing Dean and Sam to look at each other worriedly before looking back to him.

"Cas, you're hiding something, what is it?" Dean said, stepping closer to Cas.

"I told you, I'm fine Dean." Cas said quickly, stepping back a bit.

"Cas you've been gone for hours, you said you were going into town to get something and then you'd be back, normally that would take you 5 minutes. So why were you gone so long?" Dean asked, eyeing Cas with suspicion.

Cas squirmed under his gaze, he didn't want Dean to think of him as weak, he just wanted Dean to believe that he was alright. "I just decided to go for a walk, I'm always flying everywhere, I thought I would walk since it was a nice day out." He lied, hoping it would be enough to pacify Dean, but the look in Dean's eyes showed he wasn't going to give up any time soon.

"Cas, you hate walking, it's minus a gazillion degrees outside, you came in and ate the toast like you had never seen food in your life and you have huge bags under your eyes, don't you think for a second that there's nothing wrong." Dean said angrily, the concern in his eyes betraying the anger he showed.

"It's nothing!" Cas said, in a tone that meant he didn't want to discuss this anymore. He gave both of them a curt nod and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

'What am I going to do? I'm losing my grace, I'm becoming human. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to protect them now?' Cas thought to himself sadly, raindrops began pouring from the sky as if to signify his mood. He glared at the sky for a while, knowing full well that it wasn't the sky's fault. 'Dean's going to think I'm weak and useless, well I am when I'm like this. I can't be human, I don't know how to be. How am I supposed to help them? I can't even help myself. My skin is sore under the rain, my stomach is sore due to hunger, I've got a headache from staying awake until the Winchesters' go to sleep and waking up hours before they could possibly waken, just so they won't know. It's getting harder to hide.' Cas sighed defeatidly, he felt something in his chest, his eyes began to water and he began to sob. He couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. He put his face in his hands, trying to silence himself and stop the tears when he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch.

"Cas, please. Tell me what's wrong." Dean said gently, he turned so he was facing Cas and pulled him into a hug.

Cas didn't know why but when Dean hugged him he felt an urge to cry more and that's what he did. He wanted to stop it, but he couldn't, he put his arms around Dean and hugged him back tightly. He finally got his tears under control and he looked into Dean's eyes.

"Dean, you're not going to like what has happened. I do not wish to be a burden, I want to help you in anyway I can but I'm afraid I am useless to you now." Cas said sadly, looking down at his feet.

Dean looked at him sadly, "Cas...I would never be mad at you for this you should know that, it's not your fault. Don't ever think you can't tell me things like this." Dean said, pulling Cas back into another hug. "Now tell me what happened," Dean said calmly, rubbing circles gently on Cas' back.

"I'm...I'm becoming human Dean. I've been trying to hide it for a few days, but I'm exhausted, I'm hungry, I'm cold and I felt that if I told you, you wouldn't see me as your protector anymore. You would only see me as weak, I even feel sadness that I cannot protect you, in myself." Cas said, he was ashamed. If it was any other time, he may have relished being human for a while. However, Dean was a hunter, who was always getting himself into trouble, and when he had his mojo, Cas could protect him at a moments notice. But not now.

"Cas it's nothing to be ashamed of. I can't believe you thought I would disown you or something like that, just 'cause you lost your mojo. Me and Sammy can teach you to be a hunter, if you'd like. I'll teach you how to deal with being human too, alright?" Dean said smiling gently, it was evident he was trying to cheer Cas up, his worry was showing in his green eyes.

"Thank you Dean, I would like that very much." Cas said, smiling a little at Dean.

"Can we tell Sammy what happened?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Cas said simply following Dean back inside.

Sam was sitting by the table on his laptop, no doubt researching the next case. "Hey Cas, you alright?" Sam asked, looking up worriedly from the laptop at him.

"Sam, I'm becoming human, my mojo is...is gone. I'm sorry." Cas said calmly.

"Cas, it's not your fault, no need to apologise." Sam said worriedly.

Dean walked in with a bowl of cereal, "here eat this, it should fill you up for a bit, we have to get out on the road soon, well bring you some pillows and a blanket so you can sleep in the car alright? Oh and you should probably change too, the rain soaked your clothes and you don't want to get sick. That's a huge downside to being human." Dean said hurriedly, Cas stared at him, absorbing everything he said to memory.

"Dean, Sam, thank you for everything." Cas said gratefully.

"Anytime Cas," Dean said, Sam nodded and smiled, then went back to researching on his laptop.

Cas finished eating the cereal, lifted his bowl and took it in to the kitchen, he put his bowl into the dishwasher, he had seen Dean do it before, and sat down on the sofa. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after telling Dean, and he sank down deeper onto the sofa, his eyes fighting with him to stay open.

"Cas, stay awake! You can sleep in the car, I promise." Dean said, as he was holding pillows and a blanket. "Could you open the door for me while I put this in the car? Then I'll get you a change of clothes." Dean asked, Cas yawned but got up and did as he was told. After the "bed" was made in the back seat, Dean took Cas up to his room and began to look around for clothes for Cas to wear. He grabbed a pair of jeans, boxers, socks, a t-shirt and a jumper to keep Cas warm.

"Here, you need to put all these on after taking everything you're wearing off." Dean said awkwardly.

"Dean, I don't know how," Castiel said dejectedly, if he was honest he would have preferred to keep his regular attire on, despite the illness that might ensue.

"Fine, I'll help you, but the boxers you change yourself." Dean said, his cheeks slightly blushing, Castiel tilted his head confused, he was about to ask a question when Dean stopped him, "Don't ask, it's not important." Dean said, he helped Castiel out of his clothes, Cas' movements were slow due to exhaustion. "Dude, how much sleep did you even get?" Dean asked.

"Maybe two hours every night for the past week, I became anxious about what would happen if you woke up and noticed I was sleeping." Cas explained tiredly. When he was finally changed, Dean looked at him. Cas looked amazingly cute in his clothes, the clothes were a bit too big on him, making him look vulnerable and Dean had an overwhelming urge to protect him.

"Come on, you can sleep in the car while we get everything ready okay?" Dean asked, pulling Cas slightly by the hand, guiding him towards the car. Cas was so exhausted, he wasn't even walking straight, he was pretty much leaning on Dean for support. Dean helped him into his "bed," pulling the covers over him. "I'm going to lock this door Cas so no one can get in while you sleep. We'll be out in ten minutes."

Cas just nodded tiredly, curled up in a ball, pulling the blankets around him, drifting easily off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean walked back into the Batcave after checking on Cas for the third time, Sam was taking longer to get ready than he had originally anticipated.

"Dude would you relax, he's out cold isn't he?" Sam said, packing up some books and his laptop. Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"That's not the point Sammy, my car isn't exactly demon proof you know, or angel proof." Dean said, wondering when exactly he had begun to think of Angels and Demons as the only real threats.

"Dean, he'll be fine. I won't be much longer anyway. I just gotta pack up my suit and that's it." Sam explained, lifting said suit and folding it carefully into his bag. "I'm ready, you happy now?"

"About time." Dean said angrily, turning to walk quickly out to the car, he opened the trunk quietly and put Sam's bag inside along with his own. He closed the trunk gently and turned to Sam.

"Sammy, be quiet when you get in the car. Cas hasn't slept really in nearly a week, he kept himself awake in case we would find out. He's exhausted, and if we go on this hunt, I want him to be alert and I really don't want him to get hurt." Dean said worriedly, Sam gave him a look. "What?" Dean said, his cheeks felt warm.

"He's not a baby Dean, he knows how to hunt, we'll just have to keep an eye on him" Sam said, "he's going to be okay. You have to stop worrying though, it's only going to distract you and get us all killed." Sam looked at him sympathetically, he worried about Cas too as Cas was his friend.

"I know, I can't help it. We're going up against zombies. Zombies, Sam! One bite and that's it. I don't care that he's human, I'm actually quite glad he is. It's just that now that he CAN be hurt, now that he's mortal, it makes me worry. It's like a damn chick flick movie." Dean said, he felt better for venting and breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Better?" Sam said, looking at him with a smirk.

"Oh ha ha Sam, shut up." Dean said sarcastically, getting into the car as quietly as he could, Sam doing the same on the passenger side. Dean turned around and looked at Cas who was still curled up in a ball, snoring lightly. He felt something pull at his chest seeing Cas like that and he turned around, turning the key in the ignition.

Cas woke up to the smell of cheeseburgers, relief washing through him as he felt better after getting some sleep. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching as he did and sat upright, looking out the window bleary eyed.

"Hey Cas, I got you a burger," Dean said smiling at him, handing him a burger.

"Thank you, Dean." Cas said gratefully, eating his burger hungrily. "Where's Sam?" He asked, only noticing Sam's absence.

"He's getting me some pie, he forgot it but I sent him back in." Dean explained chuckling, "anyway, did you get much sleep Cas?" Dean asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I slept very well Dean, I feel a lot better after this, how long was I asleep?" Cas asked curiously.

"You were out cold for six hours." Dean said smiling, he was relieved Cas had slept for that long, at least he would be able to concentrate on the job at hand.

"It's very strange to be unconscious for so long." Cas mused, he finished his burger and sat back happily on the seat.

"Sleep is great, if you have time to get it," Dean said smirking.

"I'm aware that you need your four hours every night." Cas said smiling.

"Yeah but sometimes I can't get my four hours if I'm busy on a job." Dean explained, he looked up and saw Sam coming out of the diner looking irritated, with a happy smile on his face.

Sam got into the car, "here you go Dean, there's your precious pie." Sam said sarcastically, he turned around and smiled at Cas. "Hey Cas, you have a good rest? I got you some pie too if you want, it's strawberry so I'm not really sure if you'll like it or not." Sam explained as he lifted a paper plate with Cas' slice and handed it to him.

"Thank you Sam, I don't know what it tastes like but it smells good." Cas said curiously, he lifted the plastic fork that Sam handed to him and cut a small piece off and put it into his mouth. Sam was looking at him worriedly, in case Cas wouldn't like it, he sighed with relief as Cas' eyes went wide and he took another bite. Dean chuckled slightly.

"Taste good Cas?" Dean asked smiling proudly. Cas nodded enthusiastically as he ate another piece. His stomach was feeling better, the hunger pangs were ebbing away with each bite. He began to feel happier, a smile becoming permanent on his lips. Dean looked at him in the mirror affectionately, he looked like a kid in a candy store and he looked all the more cute for it.

Dean had accepted long ago that he was bisexual, and his feelings towards Cas. He hid it well but when Cas began acting weird a week ago, he couldn't help but worry about him. Cas was hiding things from him and usually when that happened, it meant Cas was in trouble. Now Cas was human, or close to human; Dean couldn't help but admire all the little quirks Cas had picked up, even his amazement over the taste of some foods.

Cas caught Dean's eyes in the mirror, Dean looked down quickly and started the car, his cheeks flushed. He looked back up in he mirror and saw Cas tilting his head curiously, looking down and setting his hand on his chest. Dean smiled to himself as he pulled out onto the main road. They didn't have far to go now, that thought filled Dean with dread, his fear for Cas' safety almost consuming him but then he remembered what Sam had said and he realised Sam was right. He needed to focus or he would end up getting Cas, Sam and himself killed, he focused on that curious look Cas had made a minute ago and began to smile to himself.

Sam looked over to the oblivious Dean and Cas rolling his eyes and smiling to himself, sometimes those two could be so blind. He lifted one of his books and began to read it quietly, he was going to keep a closer eye on those two. He was really curious to see how things would turn out, he wanted them to both be happy, but sometimes both of them could be really clueless.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean drove the Impala into the parking lot of a motel complex just on the outskirts of town, Cas had fallen asleep again in the back seat, Dean turned around and shook his shoulder gently.

"Cas, wake up we're here." Dean said quietly. Cas' eyes blinked open slowly, he brought a hand up to his eyes and rubbed them as he sat up.

"I'm going to take my own room," Sam said, before getting out of the car slowly.

"You sure Sammy?" Dean asked curiously, after he and Cas had both gotten out of the car too.

"I do not mind being in my own room. You two always share a room so it seems only fitting that you share again." Cas said matter-of-factly.

"Seriously I'm okay with getting my own room. Cas you're still getting used to being human and I don't think you should stay in a motel room by yourself, even if we were next door." Sam said to them.

"Alright then," Dean said smiling slightly, "you go book the rooms, I need to talk to Cas anyway." He added, Cas looked over at Dean, tilting his head in confusion.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Sam said, looking at them both curiously before he walked into the motel office.

"What's wrong Dean?" Cas asked worriedly.

"Cas, there are a few ground rules I'm gonna need to lay down before we go on this hunt." Dean said, looking at Cas with concern.

"What are they Dean?" Cas asked.

"Look, I don't mean to patronise you. I know you can take care of yourself, it's just...for my own sanity, I need put these rules in place so; rule number one: Stay close to me and don't wander off. Rule number two: If I tell you to run and go some place safe, you do it. Rule number Three: I-" Dean said but Castiel interrupted.

"'If you are surrounded, you expect me to run and save myself instead of rushing in and doing anything I can to save you.'" Castiel said in an exasperated voice. "Dean, I know you, I have seen your soul. I know how you think, you think that everyone else deserves to be saved and you are very self-sacrificing. Please let me finish." Castiel said as Dean opened his mouth to interrupt, Dean sighed but closed his mouth and listened. "I appreciate the concern Dean, I am mortal now, I can be harmed and I can die. I understand how that may change things for you, however, I will not just run away if there is a chance that you can be saved." Cas finished angrily.

"Can I say something now?" Dean asked sarcastically, Cas nodded, clearly not getting the sarcasm. "I just don't want you to get hurt, this isn't an ordinary case Cas. These are Zombies we're dealing with Cas, one bite and your done, do you understand?" Dean asked.

"I understand Dean, I can handle it. Just do not ask me to leave you if you are going to die. You should know that I cannot do that by now, I will do anything within my power to save you, whether that means my death or not." Cas said in a voice that said he meant it, his blue eyes staring imploringly at Dean green ones.

Dean swallowed a lump in his throat at this and he looked down awkwardly, he looked back up and then he spoke. "Cas. Just...just don't die on me, alright?" He asked, he cleared his throat as he noticed Sam walking over.

"Here's your keys guys, I'm just going to put my stuff in my room and then I'll join you." Sam said as he lifted his bag and walked up to his room.

Cas pressed his hand on his chest, his heart was thudding strangely and he didn't understand why. He wanted to ask Dean about it but some feeling he had stopped him from doing so, he followed Dean silently to their room and went to the bathroom, he knew how to do that at least.

Dean lay down on his bed, he put his hands behind his head as he relaxed and closed his eyes. 'Dammit Angels are stubborn. You tell them to do one thing and they wanna go ahead and do the exact opposite. Why can't he see that I'm scared for him? I don't want him to die, and I don't think I could bring him back either.' Dean was thinking to himself when Cas came out of the bathroom.

"Dean, I'm sorry for causing you trouble, I wish, more than anything, not to have you worry about me." Cas said, sitting down on his bed and bowing his head in shame. He hated being a burden to Dean, he could see how much pain his humanity was causing him.

"Cas, you don't have to be sorry! You're family, I worry about you just as much as I do for Sam." Dean said. 'Maybe even a little bit more than I should,' he thought, sitting up and staring at Cas. "Look at me Cas," he said, Cas slowly raised his head. "I'm really happy you're human Cas, I swear. I'm worried about all of us, not just you." Dean explained, causing Cas to smile.

"Thank you Dean. I will do my best to help and keep myself alive." Cas promised, his throat felt dry and he tilted his head confused, he put his hand around his throat and began to rub it gently.

"Thirsty Cas?" Dean asked worriedly, he got up to bring Cas a glass of water.

"I do not know, my mouth feels strange," Cas said curiously, he took the glass from Dean's hand and took a sip, his throat began to feel better and he drank from the glass greedily, spilling a little around himself. The water trickled down his chin and Dean laughed, startling Cas. "Why are you laughing?" Cas asked self-consciously, sitting with his knees tucked into his chest.

"Cas," Dean said, still chuckling a bit. "Drink it slower next time, you spilled half of it over yourself." Cas' cheeks turned a little pink as dean reached over with a tissue from the bedside table and dried his face.

"Thank you," he said timidly. He froze when he heard someone at the door and turned around quickly.

"It's just me," Sam said, walking in with his laptop. "I just got off the phone with Garth, he's in town somewhere too. He should be here soon, he said that there are signs of zombies; eye witness accounts and people being smuggled into vans. So it's a controlled Zombie attack." Sam explained.

"What? So someone is setting a few zombies on people, the ones who are bitten get kidnapped and the witnesses are left behind? What for?" Dean asked angrily, this case was starting to get on his nerves and he hadn't even started yet.

"He doesn't know, so I think I should head down to the police station while you and Cas interview the witnesses." Sam said, opening his laptop.

"Cas, I brought your suit and trenchcoat and your FBI badge, your clothes might still be a little damp but they should definitely be dry soon. When they are, we'll go get something to eat and then I'll interview the witnesses while you sit there quietly and look pretty." Dean said smirking, Sam gave him a look and Cas tilted his head curiously. "Shut up," Dean said chuckling.

"But...we didn't say anything?" Cas said, Sam and Dean both started laughing making Cas more confused than ever.

"No Cas uh...never mind, it's alright." Dean said smiling.

"Right, I'm going to go and get suited up, try not to say anything stupid Dean." Sam said smirking.

"Shut up Bitch!" Dean said to Sam's retreating back.

"Bite me Jerk!" Sam said, chuckling closing the door behind him.

"Right, I'm going to check on that suit of yours." Dean said awkwardly, Cas just nodded and lifted his glass to the sink. Dean walked over to his bag and began to lift out all the clothes within it. Castiel's clothes felt dry and Dean picked them up and handed them to Cas.

"Alright Cas, just like we practised this morning. Take everything you're wearing off, except for the boxers and socks, then put these on." Dean explained, Cas nodded and took off his jumper, looking at Dean to see if he was doing it right.

"You're doing great Cas, just remember, don't take off your boxers or socks this time." Dean said, blushing slightly. Cas began to put on his suit trousers, Dean held him by the shoulders so he wouldn't fall.

Cas put his shirt on backwards which Dean took off of him, he helped Cas put it on properly and buttoned up his shirt, tucking his shirt in his trousers. He then put Cas' tie on for him making sure that it was tied properly. Dean lifted the suit jacket and motioned for Cas to hold out his arms so Dean could put it on. Dean buttoned the jacket and helped Cas put on the trenchcoat so the sleeves wouldn't slide up.

"There's the nerd angel I remember." Dean said smiling. Cas turned towards Dean, his expression a little guarded.

"But Dean, I'm not an angel anymore, I'm human." Cas said sadly, he hands were fumbling with the belt of his trenchcoat as he looked down.

"I know that Cas, but you'll always be an angel to me you know that right?" Dean said smiling gently, he placed his hand on Cas' shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Really?" Cas asked with a smile. "So you don't see me as weak? Or useless?" He looked down sadly, showing that he was expecting Dean to feel that way.

"Of course not!" Dean said sternly, "Cas I don't know why you expect me to think like that but it's gotta stop."

"I'm sorry Dean, I won't do it again." Cas said smiling slightly. "However, I feel happy that you still think of me as angel, even though I'm not."

Dean was about to say something more but Sam knocked on the door, "Dean, Cas, we need to go, Garth's here. Sam walked away to talk to Garth.

"You ready for this?" Dean asked Cas, concern taking precedence over everything else for a moment.

"Yes Dean, I'll be fine." Cas said, placing his hand on on Dean's left shoulder. "Are you?" He asked, looking at him worriedly.

"I'm always ready!" Dean said smiling, he threw one last concerned glance at Cas before he turned and walked out the door Cas following behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and I can't remember at this moment if Cas has met Garth before but for my stories sake tonight, I've decided they have not but Garth has heard of Cas from the Winchesters.

Dean walked over to Sam and Garth, Cas walking closely behind him.

"Hey Dean," Garth said, walking over to give Dean a hug. Dean hugged him back briefly, giving an awkward side-wards glance at Cas, causing Sam to roll his eyes. "I don't believe we've met, I'm Garth, I'm the new Bobby. Although, I could never be as great." Garth said, looking at Castiel.

"Hello Garth, my name is Castiel, I'm a former Angel of the lord." Castiel said politely and Garth gave Cas a hug in greeting. Cas stood there, unsure of what to do as he felt strange around people other than the Winchesters, his body felt like it was burning and he felt nauseous .

"I've heard so much about you. So you're Castiel, huh? What do you mean 'former Angel of the lord?'" Garth asked curiously.

Cas squirmed awkwardly, looking over to Dean for help. Dean cleared his throat, making Garth look over to him. "Cas is human Garth, way to go for subtlety." Dean said, mildly angered at his nosiness.

"Oh. Bummer. Sorry Cas, I didn't mean to offend you." Garth said awkwardly.

"You did not cause offence, I just don't think I cope well with new people since I have become human. Human emotions are strange for me to deal with, I do not understand why but I feel uncomfortable around new people." Cas explained, Dean looked over to him fondly, understanding completely what it was he was feeling. It was strange to see Cas acting so human, he was shy and self-conscious but at the same time he was trying to fight the shyness.

"Don't worry Cas, we're all friends here, isn't that right Dean?" Garth said cheerfully, looking at Dean. Dean could see Cas looking to him for confirmation and as much as he hated to admit it; he liked Garth.

"Cas you have nothing to worry about, Garth's cool, he's freakin' weird but he's cool." Dean said. He smirked at Garth as he feigned offence.

"Yeah Cas, don't worry about Garth. He's harmless." Sam confirmed, giving Cas a reassuring smile.

Cas nodded and relaxed. "How have you heard so much about me?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Sam was talking to me about you on the phone, I thought it was just going to be these guys on this case but Sam said they had one more person with them. He also told me about everything you've done for them, I just want to say thank you on behalf of these Idjits." Garth said, smiling fondly. Dean rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

"For the last time Garth, you are not Bobby, 'Idjits' was Bobby's thing, you don't have to BE Bobby; just do his job." Dean said a little annoyed, Sam rested his face in his hand, annoyed with Dean, as Garth looked down sadly.

"Sorry Dean," Garth said solemnly.

"If it is any consolation, it was my pleasure to protect the Winchesters. I will still do so, even if I have become human." Cas said to Garth, trying to make him feel better, Dean looked over at Cas smiling, then he became serious.

"Alright, enough of the chick flick crap. Get on with telling us about this case." Dean said, he was looking forward to going to bed, he was tired and he wanted to do his job and get it over with.

"Okay, well basically, the town is overrun with rumours and hearsay. No one believes the witnesses, even though most of them are saying the same thing." Garth explained matter-of-factly.

"And what's that?" Dean asked curiously.

"Well basically, a few have said that they were with a friend when it happened, a van drove up to them. The back of the van opened and a few people walked out, someone in the van threw something at their feet. The people who left the back of the van instantly turned and headed their direction, and their friend got attacked. You know? Got bitten. Someone jumped out of the van, hit them from behind and when they came to, they were all gone, including the friend." Garth finished, he looked at them all trying to gauge their reactions.

"I really do not like the sound of this." Dean said uncomfortably, totally not thinking of Cas again.

"Me neither but what choice do we have?" Sam said worriedly.

"These people who are left behind, do they have any other injuries, other than the back of their head?" Cas asked curiously.

"Nope. They just knock them out and then they leave them behind unscathed." Garth explained.

"Alright, so what are the police saying about it?" Dean asked seriously, his arms folded across his chest as he listened.

"The police are baffled, they have no clue. They even tried to accuse the first witness of wasting police time. It's only going to get worse though." Garth said solemnly.

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked.

"Well, word on the street is a few of the witnesses are thinking of creating their own search party and are trying to hunt them down. They obviously don't realise that it's zombies we're dealing with and they're likely to get themselves killed." Garth said, proud at himself for having this knowledge.

"So what you're saying is, we need to get this job done quick or everyone who joins this club are going to die." Dean said sarcastically. "Well isn't that freakin' great!" This situation pissed him off the more he heard about it.

"I should hardly think that it is good news Dean." Cas said sternly.

"It's called sarcasm Cas!" Dean snapped, he instantly regretted it as Cas stiffened a little and looked down.

"I'll be right back, I need to use the bathroom," Cas said quietly, he turned around and walked back into the motel room.

"You're such a dick Dean! Just because you don't like the case doesn't mean you had to take it out on Cas!" Sam shouted angrily, Dean looked down ashamed.

"I know, I'm sorry Sammy, I'll be back out in a minute." Dean said, looking at the motel room door guiltily. Dean slowly walked in to the motel room, looking around he found that Cas was in the bathroom and the door was locked when he tried to open it.

"Cas, could you open the door please?" Dean asked gently, there was silence at the other end of the door and Dean felt a little agitated.

"Look I'm sorry Cas. I didn't mean to snap, especially not at you." Dean said sadly, he heard the door click and he opened the door slowly. Cas was standing there, his blue eyes were staring at his feet.

"I'm sorry Dean." Cas said quietly.

"What? Why?" Dean asked incredulously.

"For always misunderstanding what you say." Cas explained, he was still looking at the floor, refusing to meet Dean's eyes.

Dean tucked his finger under Cas' chin and tilted his head up so their eyes connected. "Cas, understand this. It was not your fault. I was just being a dick. I let my emotions get the best of me and I took it out on you. I know I shouldn't have and you don't have to accept it, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't but, I'm really sorry Cas." Dean said genuinely, Cas could see the apology in his eyes and his facial expression softened, a smile curling on his lips.

"I forgive you Dean." Cas said honestly, Dean stood in that same position for a few seconds longer, the air was thick with tension. His eyes were lost in Castiel's, they were getting closer to each other subconsciously. He wanted to kiss Cas and show him how he felt about him but he had no idea if Cas felt that way for him, sure Cas cared about him but did Cas love him? They were very close but he didn't want to hurt Cas; he reluctantly backed away, clearing his throat.

"You ready to go? We'll go get something to eat before the interviews. We can go anywhere you want to eat." Dean said smiling, glad he had fixed things with Cas.

"Sure Dean, could you please excuse me for a few moments, I will be out in a minute." Cas said smiling happily.

"Sure Cas. I'll just be out talking to Sam and Garth." Dean explained, looking at Cas curiously before turning to walk out of the motel room.

Cas looked at himself in the mirror, his cheeks had become a light shade of pink, his heart was beating frantically. He held his hand to his chest trying to calm his heart rate, he ran the cold water in the sink and cupped his hands in the water. He lowered his face to his hands and quickly pushed the water to his burning face. He looked at his face in the mirror with interest, beads of water lining his face, some running down his cheeks and one at the edge of his nose. Cas turned off the tap and walked out of the room unsure of what to do about the wetness of his face. He walked over and sat at the edge of his bed, he reached over to the bedside table, grabbed some tissues and began to dry his face off with them like Dean had done.

'What was that feeling I had when Dean was so close to me? It wasn't unpleasant but I just wish I knew what it meant and why my heart beats so fast when he's near. Why does Dean affect me so much? Maybe I should ask Dean? I don't know, he might not like the question. I think I'll ask Sam, he will know.' He thought to himself, he lifted himself off the bed and walked outside to join Dean and the others.


	5. Chapter 5

"You ready to go Cas? I'm just going to get dressed into my suit and then you and me are going to get some food. Sam and Garth are going to the police station while we go talk to the witnesses" Dean said to Cas when he walked over to them.

"Yeah, after me and Garth have checked out the police station, well call you and check out the areas where the victims have gone missing." Sam added.

"I'm ready." Cas said with a smile, Dean nodded and walked into the motel room to get dressed.

Cas stopped Sam just before he could leave for Garth's car. "Can I talk to you later? I have a few things I have difficulty understanding." Cas asked, desperation in his voice.

"Have you not asked Dean?" Sam asked confusedly, Cas shook his head.

"It is something to do with an emotion, I don't know what it is and although I would normally ask Dean, part of me feels as though I shouldn't ask him." Cas explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Sam stared at him for a second and then he understood and smiled, "sure, no problem Cas." He said kindly, Cas sighed with relief and thanked him.

Dean walked out of the motel room, now wearing his suit and walked towards the Impala, smiling at both Sam and Cas fondly.

"Be careful Sam." Cas said, turning to walk to the car. Sam smiled and got into Garth's car.

"You alright Cas?" Dean asked, looking at Cas curiously, he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I am fine Dean, I just wanted to ask Sam a question." He said happily. "And to tell him to be careful, this case seems very mysterious and I would like to think that the police would have had something by now, even if they were wrong." Cas explained, looking out of the window at the scenery with interest.

"You're right Cas, I have a really bad feeling about it." Dean agreed. "Where do you wanna eat?" He asked.

"I don't know Dean, I don't really know much about food, or where is a good place to eat." Cas said confusedly.

"Have you ever had Pizza?" Dean asked curiously.

"No I haven't." Cas said honestly, Dean's eyes opened wide in shock.

"Boy are you in for a treat Cas." Dean said chuckling a little as he drove towards the pizzeria in town. When Dean pulled over he turned to Cas, "are we good?" He asked, concern washing through his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Cas asked, tilting his head confused.

"You know, are we good? Like earlier when I snapped, you're not mad or anything, right?" Dean asked.

"Of course not Dean, I forgave you, why would I be mad at you?" Cas asked, smiling nervously.

"Alright, was just checkin'. 'Cause you know you can tell me if your annoyed with me, or if I'm being a dick. I may snap but I'll listen, there are only two people in this world whose opinions I care about and that's you and Sammy." Dean said seriously.

"Well Dean, I do not think you are being a dick, maybe earlier but not right now." Cas said smirking a little.

Dean chuckled, "well alright." He smiled fondly at Cas. "By the way, we'll start off simple with a pepperoni pizza. It's awesome! But if you like it, next time we'll get different toppings alright?" Dean asked as both he and Cas stepped out of the car and walked into the pizzeria.

"Okay Dean," Cas answered.

Dean told the waitress that they would have a table for two and he led Cas to their seats, the waitress came over and took their orders and 10 minutes later their pizza was ready and in front of them. Dean cut a slice and set it on Cas' plate and cut a slice for himself, he lifted the fork and knife, Cas copying his movements and they ate their pizza in a comfortable silence.

"I really like this Dean," Cas said as he cut himself another slice, making Dean smile.

"I'm glad you like it." Dean said happily, cutting himself another slice.

Dean's phone rang, he took it out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello? Right. Got it, thanks Sam. I'll talk to you later." He said and put his phone back in his pocket. "Sam was just calling to let us know the location of the first witness." He said to a confused Cas, who nodded in response.

They finished their pizza and Dean called the waitress over so he could pay for the food. They walked back to the Impala and got in, Dean started the car and began to drive, following the directions Sam had given him.

"So how do I just sit there and look pretty?" Cas asked suddenly, Dean nearly swerved the car off the road as he burst out laughing. Cas huffed amusedly at Dean's outburst, Dean wiped a tear from his eye and breathed out a sigh.

"No Cas what I meant by that was you just follow my lead and stay quiet. It looks better when there are two FBI officers but sometimes you are too honest when it comes to talking to people." Dean explained, not wanting to hurt Cas' feelings.

"I understand, people are unaccustomed to the way I talk and if I say too many things they may get suspicious?" Cas said, looking to Dean for approval.

"Yes Cas," Dean said, he was hoping Cas wouldn't ask him about the pretty part because he didn't think he could cope with having to explain that."

"And I suppose, Jimmy's body is attractive so that makes me pretty?" Cas asked, Dean mentally face palmed and he looked to Cas quickly as a question struck him, he turned his eyes back quickly on to the road.

"Cas? What happened to Jimmy? He's not in there too is he?" Dean asked worriedly, Cas looked down in shame but shook his head.

"When Jimmy had been stabbed and I had to use his body as my vessel again, even if I had left his body again, he would have been dead. So I personally took his soul up to heaven. He's happy up there and his heaven is beautiful, he spends most of his time with his family on family trips to places around the world." Cas explained solemnly.

Dean was silent for a few moments as he pondered over the new information. "So it's just you now?" Dean asked.

"Yes, it is technically my body now, I feel everything this body feels and I can no longer leave it." Cas explained sadly.

"Hey cheer up Cas, if it makes you feel any better; I feel more comfortable around you when you're like this. If you were to change bodies with someone else, I wouldn't know who you were." Dean said kindly, he put his hand on Cas' shoulder affectionately, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Thank you Dean, I obviously miss being an angel and my original body but I like this vessel. It is familiar and I felt happier in it even when I was an angel." Cas said smiling slightly, Dean squeezed Cas' shoulder affectionately.

"We're here Cas, now you know what to do right?" Dean asked as he pulled over outside the house.

"I walk in, I show my badge when I'm introduced and I don't say anything." Cas said, taking his badge out of his pocket and holding it.

"Okay, that's great Cas." Dean said happily. They both got out of the car and walked towards the witness's house and knocked on the door. Cas was feeling anxious, he didn't like the feeling he got when he was talking to new people and he was glad that Dean was going to do all the talking.

A woman opened the door a crack, slowly peeking her head out. "What do you want?" She asked, trying her best to look annoyed but only showing fear and anguish.

"Hello mam, we're from the FBI, I'm Special Agent Stevens and this is my partner Special Agent Matthews." Dean said as both he and Cas showed their badges, Dean checked to make sure Cas had the badge the right way up this time, which he did.

"Have you come here to laugh at me too?" The woman asked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"No mam, I assure you, we are here to listen to everything you have got to say. We won't judge you I promise." Dean said reassuringly. She seemed to relax at that because she stood up straighter and opened the door to the let them inside. Cas kept close to Dean but not too close and he kept his face as stoic as possible, despite how nervous he felt.


	6. Chapter 6

The woman led them into her living area, she was hugging her cardigan to herself and she sat down on a chair with a blanket curled around her. Dean and Cas sat down on the sofa together, Dean looked around; there was clutter everywhere and it didn't look like she had left her make-shift bed in a while. She had heavy bags under her eyes indicating she hadn't even had any sleep, she was very pale and thin. Her blonde curls were hanging around her face loosely, she had a bottle of whiskey on the table beside her and she stared at Dean expectantly.

"Well Miss Daniels, why don't you tell us what happened?" Dean asked her politely.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I got laughed at down at the police station, they tried to accuse me of wasting police time." She said stubbornly.

"Trust me Mam, we will believe whatever you have to tell us." Dean said, looking over at Cas who hadn't moved. Cas looked like he was going to be sick but he saw Dean looking at him and he nodded.

She relaxed and poured herself a glass of whiskey, she held up the bottle, silently asking them if they wanted any. They refused and she said "suit yourself." She snuggled into her chair, pulling the blanket around her and taking a sip from her glass.

"To be honest, I don't quite believe it myself. Me and Jill were walking to her aunts house from town. This white van had drove past us 3 times, but you know, when you see cars and stuff go past, you notice them but don't really worry about them. Anyway, we had just got to the cul-de-sac that her aunt lived in and the same white van drove up to us." She said, pausing to take another drink, her hands began to shake. "The back doors of the van opened and 3 people had walked out, we just stood there in shock when we saw them. And someone in the van rolled down the window threw a rock at out feet. They all turned at the noise and...and.." She said shakily, her tears had begun to stream down her face.

"Take your time." Dean said softly, he looked over to Cas, he had lost his stoic mask, his face showing sadness. He felt pity for her and he wanted to help her but he still stayed silent. He noticed a box of tissues on the table and he lifted a few out of it and wordlessly handed them to her which she had accepted gratefully. Dean looked at him with pride, Cas was pretty good for someone who suffered from a crippling shyness.

"Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well, every time I close my eyes, I see them. I see their faces, each one. Their eyes were grey and tiny, their skin was a sickening grey too...Blood everywhere. They came towards us, we were so scared. We should have ran away, I should have snapped out of it and grabbed Jill's hand and ran with her but I...I couldn't move and neither could she. Time slowed down and they walked towards her, one grabbed her and bit down on her shoulder. She screamed, I screamed. I tried to get the guy of her but someone came up behind me and hit me on the head." She said, she drank the last of what was in the glass and poured the rest of the bottle into the glass. "When I came to, a man walking his dog had called an ambulance. He stayed with me, trying to keep me awake until the ambulance got there. I was rushed to hospital and released within a few hours, nothing happened to me other than a bruise on my head. But Jill..." She said, her eyes scrunched up and she began to sob, pushing the tissues in her hand back up to her face.

"We are very sorry this has happened to you, what happened when you got to the police station?" Dean said sympathetically.

She dried her eyes and sniffed before she answered, "I went straight to the police station after I was released from hospital and told them everything that had happened. The officer who was interviewing me said I had probably hit my head harder than I thought when he asked me to describe the three people who left the van." She said bitterly, "they said I was wasting police time and sent me home." She pulled the blanket closer around herself and finished her glass before setting it down on the table.

"Well mam, I just want you to know that we believe you and we will do whatever we can to make sure the people responsible get what they deserve." Dean said, trying to choose his words carefully.

She looked up gratefully, "you believe me? Thank you. Please bring Jill back to me, she's my best friend, I don't know what I would do without her." She said, her eyes begging them desperately to bring her back.

"We cannot promise to bring her back, but we will do whatever we can to make sure this never happens again." Dean said solemnly, she nodded gratefully as both Dean and Cas stood up and walked out.

They got into the Impala and Dean turned to Cas, "you did really good Cas." Dean said proudly.

"I felt very nauseous at the beginning but when she began to cry, I felt strange and I had an impulse to give her the tissues. I'm sorry, I know I said I would just sit there and look pretty but I had no control over what I was doing, I just felt like I had to." Cas said looking at Dean apologetically.

"No Cas, that was a good thing. That went well, I need to ring Sam though to see how things are back at the police station. Let's go back to the motel and then call him." Dean said, starting the car and heading for the motel.

"Do you think the police are lying?" Cas asked Dean, wanting to know his opinion.

"I don't know but something definitely stinks here. I don't like the way the attacks are done, I think it's sneaky and I just don't like it." Dean said angrily, he pulled into the parking lot and he and Cas left the car and walked into the motel room.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

Sam and Garth walked into the police station and held their badges up. The secretary flinched and walked quickly into the police chief's office. A man walked out, he had dark brown hair, a thick moustache and he was also wearing a suit, when he walked out, he looked angry but his smile instantly flashed wide when he approached Sam and Garth.

"What can I do for the boys in blue?" The man asked, he seemed very patronising but Sam bit his tongue and stayed in his FBI mode.

"I'm Special agent Freely and this is my partner Special agent Stagg." Garth said cheerfully, making Sam internally roll his eyes. "We're here about the number of missing persons cases in the past 2 weeks."

Sam noticed the chief stiffen slightly. "Why would you be here about that? I didn't think they FBI would be interested in such a small case." He asked defensively.

"Well the bureau have received a lot of phone calls from family members of the victims. They say that there has been a bit of incompetency with the way this situation has been handled and we've been called to intervene." Sam said smoothly, noticing the look of annoyance that flashed through the chief's eyes for a moment.

"Well then, what would you like to know?" The chief asked grudgingly.

"We would like the names and addresses of all the witnesses and the locations where the victims went missing and any other information you could give us." Sam said smoothly before Garth could speak.

"Right away. Nancy?" He said to the secretary, "give these gentlemen what they came here for and then escort them out of the building." The chief said, giving them a look of disgust, making it obvious he was not happy with them being there.

Nancy smiled awkwardly at them as she handed them a file with all the information they needed. She motioned towards them politely so she could walk them out of the building, Sam and Garth thanked her when they had reached the entrance of the building and began to walk to Garth's car.

"That went well." Sam said sarcastically, he looked through the file as he sat down in Garth's car.

"It's could have been worse Sam, at least we got what we came for." Garth said cheerfully, starting the car and driving down the street.

Sam opened up his phone and called Dean. "Hey Dean it's me, listen the first witness is called Jacqueline Daniels, she lives at 423 Barley Lane. No problem Dean, Bye." Sam said and he put his phone into his pocket, he lifted the page which had the locations of the victims' disappearances. "Hey Garth let's go check out this one, it's only 2 blocks away." Sam said, giving Garth directions when he needed to.

Garth pulled the car over behind the police tape. They both got out of the car, walked over and ducked under the tape. There was a puddle of dried coagulated blood on the pavement and Sam took out his Camera and took a few photographs of the puddle and the surrounding area. There were tire tracks on the road where someone had drove off in a hurry beside the pavement.

"So what do you think?" Sam asked Garth when he noticed Garth looking at a heavy rock.

"I'm thinking that this would make a loud noise if it was thrown, also that if you threw it at someone, number 1; you'd have to be seriously strong and number 2; you'd probably hurt someone really badly." Garth explained, he walked over to the blood and bent down to see it better. "This blood has dried so it's probably a few days old." He added scratching his head.

"How would one person knock out a witness, take three zombies down and an injured screaming victim in this place without causing so much noise or even getting injured themselves?" Sam asked, not really expecting an answer.

"More than one person maybe? Or even another car in the background as back-up." Garth guessed.

Sam's phone rang and he answered it. "Hey, yeah we're at the one of the hit spots right now. Alright, we'll be there soon." Sam said and turned to Garth.

"Dean and Cas are at the motel, they've just interviewed the witness. Let's go there and then we'll share what we've found out and come up with a plan." Sam said turning towards the car, Garth nodded and followed him, getting into the car and quickly driving off.


	7. Chapter 7

When Dean walked into the motel room, he took off his tie and lifted a beer from the fridge, "you wanna beer Cas?" Dean asked him, Cas shook his head, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes peacefully.

"You tired?" Dean asked as he sat down on his bed, looking at the look of bliss on Cas' face.

"A little but it isn't anything I cant deal with, I just feel relaxed at the moment." Cas said, he opened his eyes and caught Dean's eyes looking at him. Dean looked away quickly and Cas' cheeks burned a little and he turned on his side, facing Dean.

"What's wrong Dean?" Cas asked curiously. Dean fidgeted and took a long pull from his beer.

"Nothing's wrong Cas," Dean said smiling nervously. Cas was about to ask something else when Sam and Garth walked in.

"Hey guys." Sam said smiling, Garth walked in behind Sam and waved.

"How did things go at the police station?" Cas asked inquisitively.

"Well the chief gave us everything we needed and had us escorted out of the building." Sam said, he was a little pissed off at the whole thing.

"Seriously?" Dean asked shocked, almost choking on his beer.

Sam nodded and turned to Cas, "hey Cas, I'm going to go to the diner, you wanna come with?" Sam asked him trying to keep his face straight, he could see Dean looking over at him suspiciously but he ignored him.

"Well I'm not hungry right now, but I shall accompany you if you'd like." Cas said smiling, he stood up and walked over to Sam.

"Right, well we'll be right back, you guys want anything?" Sam asked.

"Nothing for me Sam, I'm about to go to my room at a different motel. I didn't realise you guys were staying here, so I went further into town." Garth said, jingling his keys in his hands.

"No thanks Sammy," Dean said calmly, Sam could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"We'll be back soon Dean, Garth it was nice to meet you." Cas said politely walking out of the motel room, Sam following quickly behind.

They walked away from the motel, the diner was only a short distance away and Sam stopped Cas before they could go any further.

"So Cas, what did you want to talk to me about?" Sam asked curiously.

Cas blushed furiously and he held his hand to his chest. "You won't laugh at me or anything, right?" He asked self-consciously.

"I promise I wont laugh at you." Sam said honestly.

"Thanks Sam, there is an emotion I feel when I am around Dean. My heart rate beats at an alarming rate and my cheeks feel hot. Sometimes when he is close, I feel like my body is burning, kind of like when I am around new people but much worse. At first I was alarmed but now I am just confused, I really want to know what this is I am feeling." Cas finished, refusing to meet Sam's eyes in case he laughed at him.

Sam smiled genuinely, sure it was awkward having this conversation but this was Cas. "Cas, what you're feeling is a thing we call love." Cas' eyes went wide as Sam said this. "Although, there are different kinds of love. There is the romantic kind; where a person is in love with someone and they want to be around them all the time and despite all their flaws, you still love them. Then there is the family kind of love; where you love someone as a brother or a friend." Sam explained, gauging Cas' reaction.

"If I was to feel the romantic kind of love...how would that feel?" Cas asked shyly, avoiding Sam's eyes.

"Well," Sam said, smiling knowingly. "Your heart would beat fast, you would feel very shy around him at times, especially if Dean was at close proximity.

"What do I do?" Cas asked suddenly, he looked like he was going to be sick, or panic.

"Calm down Cas, it's okay." Sam said kindly.

"No, Dean's going to hate me. I have already become a burden to him because I became human, I do not need to be putting this extra pressure on him." Cas said frantically.

Sam grabbed Cas by the shoulders and shook him gently, "it's okay Cas. Dean is most likely going to be very happy. You don't have to worry." Sam reassured him, but Cas just shook his head.

"I need to go for a walk by myself, I need to think." Cas said distractedly and turning away from Sam.

"Cas wait! It's not safe!" Sam shouted but Cas ran away quickly and didn't want to turn back. "Dammit!" He said to himself and he ran towards the motel and burst into Dean's motel room.

"Jesus Christ Sammy! You tryna give me a heart attack?!" Dean shouted, he almost spilled his beer over himself.

"Shut up! Cas is gone." Sam shouted. Dean froze, he turned to glare at Sam.

"He was with you what? Ten minutes and you lost him?! Great job Sammy!" Dean shouted, getting up quickly and grabbing his keys, he stormed out the door bumping shoulders with Sam on his way past and walked quickly into his car. Sam got in quickly and turned to Dean apologetically.

"Look Dean, I'm sorry!" Sam started, Dean scoffed annoyed, scanning the roads for his nerd angel. "He asked me earlier if he could ask me a question and that's why I invited him out." He said carefully.

"Ask you what Sam?! He could have asked me." Dean said, he felt a little hurt but he would never admit that.

"It was about you" Sam said annoyed, Dean looked over to glare at him before he quickly turned his eyes back to the road.

"Well? Get on with it." Dean said, agitated now.

"I can't tell you that." Sam said sheepishly.

"Why the hell not?" Dean asked stubbornly.

"Because Cas has to tell you that himself, he was afraid of creating more problems for you." Sam explained as best as he could.

Dean huffed and kept quiet, scanning the footpath for Cas. He noticed a van driving towards a familiar man in a trenchcoat walking by himself with his head down. Dean's voice caught in his throat and he sped up before he was too late. The back of the van opened and 3 people with grey skin walked out, they began to walk slowly towards Cas. Cas backed away from them and both Sam and Dean jumped out of the car.

Dean shot the zombie closest to Cas while Sam killed the other two. The van drove off quickly almost crashing into the many cars driving on the main road. Sam took a note of the license plate and Dean ran straight to Cas and hugged him.

"You idiot!" He shouted with relief, do NOT and I repeat DO NOT run off like that again!" Dean said sternly.

Cas looked down guiltily, "I'm so sorry Dean." He said sadly.

"It's alright Cas but Jes' don't scare me like that again!" Dean said, pulling Cas towards the car.

Dean drove the car back to the motel and walked into the motel room. Sam said goodnight and went to his room leaving Cas and Dean alone. Cas sat down on his bed nervously and Dean was pacing in front of him.

"Alright Cas, tell me what's going on with you." Dean demanded, choosing to sit down on his bed before he wore a hole in the ground.

"I don't want to make things any worse for you than they already are." Cas said in a small voice.

"Well I don't care if it does or not, just tell me." Dean said honestly.

"Dean...I..." Cas fumbled with his hands, not meeting Deans eyes. "I asked Sam to help me define an emotion I feel whenever I am around you, Sam helped me figure out what it was and I needed to walk and think by myself." Cas explained.

"Cas, you could have gotten yourself killed! And I told you already, don't ever be afraid to ask me anything or tell me anything." Dean's voice had softened and he looked at Cas with pleading eyes, which Cas couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.

He sighed and tried to calm himself down from the nervous feeling threatening to consume him. "Okay Dean, I...I..." He swallowed nervously and looked up to Dean's expectant eyes and he tried again. "I...I love you." He blurted, his face was bright red and he looked straight down, he pulled his knees up to his chest and waited for Dean to shout at him.

Dean sat there in a shocked silence, he never thought Cas would feel that way, he saw how vulnerable Cas looked when he was curled into himself and he smiled a little. He stood up, he lifted Cas' face up with his hand and swooped down for a kiss. The kiss was not too hard but not gentle either, Cas grabbed Dean's shirt with both hands and kissed back awkwardly.

Dean pulled away slowly and rested his forehead gently against Cas'. "I love you too." Dean said happily, his own cheeks were red.

Cas smiled happily as Dean kissed him again, Dean helped him undress to his boxers, Dean doing the same and he pulled Cas into his bed. He pulled Cas close to him and hugged him tightly, kissing him deeply.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!! There's Fluffy smut in this chapter so if you don't like it click next and ignore :)

Cas clung to Dean and brushed his hands through Dean's hair, Dean shivered and leaned over Cas and rubbed his hand along Cas' side. Cas moaned a little at Dean's touch and tried to copy Dean's movements as he felt a tingle go down his spine. Dean pulled back from the kiss for a moment to look at Cas, he smiled gently as Cas looked away shyly, his cheeks slightly dusted with pink and he moved his hand to Cas' face to get him to look at him.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, he knew how shy Cas had become and he didn't want to push Cas into anything he wasn't comfortable with.

"I'm fine Dean." Cas said shyly, "I just don't know what to do here. I understand the mechanics and how it works, I just don't want to let you down." He said sadly, his cheeks had become a little warmer and he averted his eyes from Dean.

"Cas. You would never disappoint me, I promise. And anyway, we don't have to do anything until you're ready, we could just lay here and cuddle." Dean said, cringing a little at his words.

"Dean...I want to be with you, in every sense and I know I have nothing to be ashamed of..." Cas trailed off nervously, he sighed and took a deep breath. "But I am ready, just don't laugh if I do anything foolish." He said self-consciously, his eyes roamed Dean's face before he looked away again.

"Cas, I promise I wont laugh at you. I love you and I want you to be as comfortable as possible since this is your first time." Dean said, shifting a little as his position was making him uncomfortable.

Cas' eyes softened with relief, "but Dean...what if I mess-" Cas said before Dean kissed him passionately to shut him up. Dean moved so he was on top of Cas, Cas' legs bent at the knees on either side of him and were slightly squeezing his sides. Cas' hands dug into his shoulder blades as he kissed back with all his might.

Dean shifted so that their erections were lined up together, still coated in their boxers and he thrusted experimentally, making Cas gasp and arch his back up to him slightly. Dean smiled a little and pulled away a bit, he had both hands on Cas' boxers and looked at him for permission. Cas nodded and Dean slid Cas' boxers down his legs slowly before taking off his own. He looked at Cas' dick; which was standing to attention and smirked a little at Cas.

Dean moved his hand over to Cas' dick and he stroked it once to gauge Cas' reaction, Cas' breathing quickened and he thrust his hips up into Dean's palm. Dean smiled and held Cas' hips down with one hand and stroked him at a slow pace with his other, he moved closer to Cas' wiggling hips and he put his mouth around Cas' dick and began to suck Cas, using his tongue to swirl around Cas' dick while still stroking him with his hand. Cas moaned and closed his eyes, lying back and hiding his face in a pillow to muffle the sound of his moans which were embarrassing him.

Dean pulled back and moved up to align himself with Cas again and causing sweet friction for them both. Dean stroked Cas' face with his hand and pulled them into a sloppy kiss as he thrusted faster, Cas' breathing was getting erratic and his moans became a little louder and Dean's joined the fray.

Dean felt like he wouldn't last much longer so he stopped and looked at Cas. He held Cas' face in his hand, his forehead meeting Cas' as he tried to slow down his breathing.

"Are you ready for this because it'll hurt for a while but I promise I'll try and cause as little pain as I possibly can." Dean said, still a little out of breath.

"I trust you Dean." Cas said breathlessly, he tried to slow down his breathing with little success. Dean smiled gently and moved to open the bedside table drawer. He pulled out a bottle of lube and squeezed some on to his hand and mixing it between his two fingers. He looked at Cas to see if he was having second thoughts but he saw no doubt in his blue eyes. He moved down to his entrance and inserted one finger; kissing Cas to distract him from the feeling, and began to stretch him, inserting another to help scissor him. Cas wriggled a little, it was uncomfortable but it didn't hurt and he moaned when Dean hit his prostate, sending a jolt of pleasure to him as he kissed Dean back passionately.

Cas pulled away, feeling confident that he was ready. "Now Dean, I'm ready." Dean nodded and put some lube onto his dick and lined himself up, he kissed Cas once more as he pushed in slowly. Cas gasped in pain and Dean pushed until he was all the way in and Cas tightened his legs around Dean.

Dean held Cas' trembling hand and wiped the tears from his watery eyes. "It's okay Cas, I got you. It won't hurt for much longer I promise." Dean said reassuringly, hating the fact he was hurting Cas. Cas just nodded and Dean pulled back a little slowly and thrusted back in. Doing this for a minute or so until Cas' pained moans became moans of pleasure as Dean hit the bundle of nerves. Dean held both of Cas' hands on either side of his head and kissed him deeply. Cas was breathing heavily, his legs' shaky hold around Dean began to loosen with his exhaustion and he tightened it again.

Dean felt like he wouldn't last so he grabbed Cas' dick and began to stroke him along with his movements with one hand and still clutching Cas' hand with his other. Cas moaned louder and felt his body become tighter, he screamed into Dean's mouth as he came, his cum spurting between their sweaty chests and it wasn't long before Dean was coming inside of Cas, he thrust slowly through his orgasm, kissing Cas deeply before he slowly pulled out and rolled over pulling Cas to him and squeezing him tightly in a hug.

"That was...amazing...I love you so much Cas." Dean panted, kissing Cas on the forehead.

Cas nodded, "It was Dean...I love you to." Cas said sleepily, he gave Dean a quick kiss on the lips and turned around. Dean lifted his and Cas' boxers, putting on his own slowly and then helping a sleepy Cas into his. He pulled Cas to his chest and surrounded his arms around Cas' body and snuggled close to him.

"G'night Cas" Dean said drowsily, kissing the back of his neck before blissfully falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first smut so I'm sorry it isn't that great :) By the way I can edit this if any one leaves a comment or two with suggestions :)


	9. Chapter 9

Cas woke up feeling warm and content, especially after that dream he had last night; he had finally figured out his feelings, with the help of Sam, Dean had kissed him and made love to him. He felt a little sad when he realised it probably wouldn't work out that way if he did tell Dean how he felt and he decided to get up and wash his face. He made to move but found himself trapped by warm, strong arms around his chest and a warm body pressed up to his back. He turned around gently to find the culprit who was holding him prisoner and he found Dean, looking peaceful, snuggled up to him. The movement caused Dean to moan a little in his sleep and he tightened his hold on Cas and snuggled closer to him. Cas smiled in relief; it wasn't a dream. Everything that had happened last night was real, Dean loved him and fell asleep with him.

Cas took a few moments to stare at him a while longer before he plucked up his self courage and kissed Dean on the tip of his nose and then his mouth and he pulled away to look at him again. He gasped a little in shock when he found a pair of lips smashing together with his own passionately, that ever tight hold Dean had on him, getting tighter, their legs tangled together. Dean pulled back and opened his eyes sleepily, a small smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Mornin' Cas." Dean said groggily, releasing Cas a little so Cas could move back to stare at him.

"Good morning Dean." Cas said smiling happily, his eyes were bright and slightly crinkled at the edges with his smile.

"How'd you sleep?" Dean asked, pulling a hand up to rub his eyes tiredly and then stretching his free arm.

"I slept very well Dean, I trust that you did as well?" Cas asked. Dean just smiled and nodded, he hugged Cas again and kissed him deeply, Cas smiled into the kiss and brushed his hands through Dean's hair. Dean shivered at the contact and held Cas' face with his palm and leaned over so Cas was slightly under him, Cas kissing back with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Dean stroked his hand down Cas' side and back up resting his hand by Cas' face and he pulled back and just looked into Cas' smiling eyes.

"I love you Cas." Dean sighed happily and gave Cas a peck on the lips.

"I love you too Dean." Cas sighed contentedly and he stretched his arms in a yawn, his body felt a little sore but he felt it was worth it. Dean looked at him, admiring how cute he looked when he did something so human and he sighed exasperatedly and hung his head when he heard the knock on the door.

"What do you want Sam?" Dean shouted grumpily.

"Dean! Cas! There's been another victim, we gotta move!" He shouted and walked away. Dean sighed again and looked at Cas longingly. Cas smiled, a blush forming slightly, he kissed Dean and Dean moved away as Cas tried to get up. Cas walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, Dean lay back down and closed his eyes blissfully for a moment before letting out another sigh as he begrudgingly got up and moved towards his suit he had thrown into the corner of the room.

Dean began dressing slowly, sleep still clouding his mind and slowing his movements, he looked over as Cas came out of the bathroom and looked at him expectantly, Dean chuckled a little and buttoned up his shirt.

"I'll help you get dressed in a sec' Cas, just gotta myself dressed first alright?" Dean explained and Cas nodded in response.

Dean pulled on his suit jacket and then lifted Cas' clothes off the floor and helped Cas get dressed. He made sure the tie was on properly before he was done and then he gave Cas a kiss, making Cas blush a little and smile.

"Thank you for helping me again Dean," Cas said shyly. Dean held his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Anytime Cas. Now, how 'bout me and you go for something to eat after the crime scene alright?" Dean asked. "I'm just gonna be a sec in the bathroom first though, I wanna brush my teeth." He added.

"Okay Dean, I'm just gonna go out and find Sam and wait for you okay?" Cas explained, giving Dean a quick kiss and walking out the door while Dean nodded and went to the bathroom.

Cas walked out of the motel room and he knocked on Sam's motel room door, "come on in!" Sam shouted, Cas opened the door and saw Sam, sitting on his bed and using his laptop.

"Hey Cas, did everything go okay with Dean last night?" Sam asked worriedly, he closed his laptop and looked at Cas uneasily.

Cas tried to hold back the smile but failed miserably as his happiness inside reflected on his face. Sam grinned and walked over to Cas and patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you Sam, I wouldn't have figured out how I felt if it wasn't for you. I am sorry for running away last night, I should have listened to you." Cas said guiltily.

"It's alright Cas, I understand why you did it. Just be more careful next time, if Dean and I had been any later, you might have died." Sam said solemnly, Cas nodded his understanding and smiled slightly, the door opened and Dean walked in, a big grin on his face, with green eyes only for Cas.

"You guys ready to go?" Dean asked cheerfully.

"Uh...Dean, we're going to a crime scene. You know where someone was eaten by a zombie? You might wanna wipe that cheesy grin of your face." Sam said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Bitch!" Dean said defensively, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"Bite me, Jerk!" Sam said with a shit-eating grin. Dean rolled his eyes but stopped suddenly.

"What do you mean eaten by a zombie?" Dean asked, he was very confused.

"They didn't kidnap anyone last night, someone was pretty much eaten alive last night. It was so bad, they wouldn't be able to come back. The head was eaten, half the torso, pretty much just a few pieces of leftovers." Sam said with a grimace, he lifted his camera, almost glaring at it with disgust as he thought about what he would have to do.

"Why would they allow the routine to change out of their order if they have been in control this whole time?" Cas asked curiously, tilting his head as he spoke.

"I dunno, maybe he was angry because he couldn't get you last night?" Sam asked, Dean huffed angrily.

"That was too close last night Sammy," Dean said annoyed at the situation.

"I know but it's okay, Cas is safe now. I got the guy's license plate last night, I spent last night looking up the information on the owner." Sam said, Dean huffed out a sigh but stood up straight listening to the information. "His name is Gordon Wheeler, he's 28, white male, dark brown hair, 5'8 and lives at his parents house in town. And get this; his father is the Chief of Police." Sam finished with a satisfied smirk, Dean's eyebrows raised and he put his hand to his head trying to think of all the things that this could possibly mean.

"Do you think his father knows exactly what his son has been doing?" Cas asked inquisitively, Dean looked over to him with pride; Cas was becoming better at this.

"I'm not sure, but I do think he knows something." Sam said, his phone rang, he answered it and walked out of the room. Dean walked over to Cas and looked at him worriedly.

"You alright Cas?" Dean asked, he looked nervous and Cas looked to him with concern.

"I'm fine Dean, are you alright?" Cas asked worriedly.

"I'm great, I'm just worried that's all" Dean said quietly, Cas shook his head and held Dean's face between his hands.

"When you said don't be afraid to tell me anything, I thought it went both ways." Cas said stubbornly, looking at Dean with determination flashing through his eyes. Dean gulped and looked at Cas, smiling slightly.

"It does work that way Cas, it's just that, I don't want you anywhere near this case but you wont have it so I gotta deal with it." Dean blurted, looking at Cas sadly. Cas looked a little sad and Dean waved his hands defensively, "Cas, I didn't mean it like that. It's just me being protective, I just don't want you to get hurt." Dean explained, looking at Cas with wide eyes. Cas looked at him smiling slightly and Dean sighed with relief.

"Dean, I understand now what you meant, however, I am fine. I have told you before, I can deal with this. You have to trust me." Cas said confidently, he walked up to Dean and kissed him, and they broke apart, just before Sam could see anything as they heard his footsteps walking back to them.

"That was Garth, he's at the crime scene. The Chief is there now and is threatening him, we need to get there fast!" Sam said, putting his phone his pocket and walking out of the motel room.

Dean and Cas looked each other, Dean squeezed Cas' hand reassuringly before following Sam out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean drove the Impala up to the Crime Scene, a crowd had gathered around the Crime Scene and Sam could see Garth backing away from someone while trying to say something. Dean pulled the car over and the three of them jumped out of the car and ran to Garth, Dean stood in front of Garth to confront the Chief of Police.

"What's your problem officer?" Dean asked angrily. The Chief looked at him threateningly and walked up to get in Dean's face.

"What's MY problem? My problem is that you FBI agents think you can just waltz in here and call the shots when there is a perfectly good team of officers investigating this case!" He shouted, saliva was spitting at Dean's face and Dean felt disgusted.

"Oh well, you're doing a great job aren't you?! People are being taken and now this one has been eaten alive! Is it any wonder the FBI had been called for this case?!" Dean retorted, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"As I told your agent over here, we officers aren't as incompetent as you might think! We've got this, you don't need to be involved anymore. Now leave before I do something I'll regret!" The Chief said viciously, Dean merely looked at him apathetically and turned to Sam.

"Get your camera, take photographs of the Crime Scene and then we'll get out of here." Dean said calmly, he smirked at the outraged look the Chief gave him. Sam nodded and walked towards the body and began taking pictures.

The Chief raised his fist and punched Dean hard in the face, Dean was caught off guard and fell back into Garth knocking them both over. Sam looked behind and saw Dean on the ground with a shocked look on his face, but what surprised him the most was the look of sheer fury on Cas' face.

Cas felt angry, angrier than he has ever felt. He was calm on the outside except for his eyes, his heart was beating fast and his body began to shake and he walked slowly over to the Chief. He raised his fist and punched the Chief, weaker than he would have liked now that he was human but hard enough to knock the man off-balance and he fell.

"You will not hurt Dean again!" Cas shouted angrily, his whole body was shaking and his emotions were raging. Dean quickly got over his shock and pulled Cas into a hug when he noticed Cas shaking.

"Hey hey, calm down. It's okay, I'm okay." Dean said soothingly, he turned to the Chief shielding Cas behind him slightly as he saw the Chief trying to advance on him.

"Back off dude, count yourself lucky I didn't hit you you son of a bitch!" Dean said angrily, holding Cas' hand behind him. Cas was squeezing his hand tightly, feeling anxious now that his anger had faded.

Sam nodded to Dean, signalling that he was finished and Dean nodded back.

"Alright, we're done here." Dean said, throwing the Chief a dirty look and turning to walk away. The Chief looked livid, Sam walked over to Garth and with a nod to each other they walked away, the Chief cursed and turned to the shocked crowd.

"Get out of here! There is nothing to see!" He shouted and ran towards the crowd, trying to scatter them like crows.

"I'm gonna take Cas to get something to eat, you wanna go with Garth and go over the photographs." Dean asked Sam, Sam nodded and walked with Garth quietly towards his car. Cas had his head down and walked to the passenger side of the Impala and sat down.

"What was that Cas?" Dean asked as he sat down beside him. Cas didn't answer and he turned away from Dean, he was still trembling slightly.

"Come on Cas, answer me." Dean pleaded. Cas lifted his head and looked at Dean guiltily

"I'm so sorry Dean." He said quietly, water gathered around his eyes threatening to fall. Dean reached over and pulled Cas into a hug.

"Hey, I'm not mad Cas, you have nothing to be sorry for." Dean said soothingly, pulling away slightly to look into his eyes.

"You're not mad?" Cas asked, looking shocked.

"Of course not," Dean huffed amusedly. "You did good Cas, you knocked that guy on his ass," he chuckled gleefully. Cas' lips turned up into an amused smile and he chuckled a little himself.

"I don't know what came over me, he hit you and my heart began to beat very fast and I began to shake and I just saw red." Cas explained, remembering the emotions that rushed through him. He breathed out a sigh to calm himself again, even talking about how angry he felt made his blood boil.

"That is an emotion I'm all to familiar with, it's part of being human although...whether it's good or bad, it depends on the situation." Dean said, his smile faded a little but he gave Cas a kiss and started the Impala, turning to look at Cas again before he would drive. "You alright?" Dean asked.

"Yes I'm fine Dean, My hand hurts a little, I think I may have hit him a little harder than I realised." Cas said, holding his fist, there was a little blood on his knuckles and Dean took the med-kit out of the glove compartment. He took a bottle of cream out of the box and rubbed some of it on Cas' bruising knuckles. Cas hissed in pain at the contact but bared with it, Dean then wrapped a bandage around his knuckles so the cream could do it's job.

"There, that should do it." Dean said softly, he put the med-kit back into the glove compartment and smiled at Cas.

"Thank you Dean." Cas said, smiling happily.

"No problem Cas, now where do you wanna go eat?" Dean asked as he turned the Impala around and drove down the street.

"Hmmm, can we go somewhere that serves that strawberry pie Sam bought?" Cas asked eagerly, Dean smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing Cas," Dean said, he actually wanted pie himself. He lifted his phone out of his pocket and called Sam.

"Hey, we're gonna get some pie if you two want anything out of the bakery? Yeah and if they're out what else do you want? Alright. Bye Sammy" Dean said, pocketing his phone and turning into a parking spot on the street. Dean and Cas stepped out of the car and walked towards the bakery, they walked in and looked around.

"Hey, you're the fellow that hit the Chief aren't you?" The shopkeeper said to Cas. Cas visibly stiffened and nodded, slowly edging closer behind Dean. "Gosh, if I hadn't saw it with my own two eyes I would never have believed you were the one to hit him, don't be shy I don't bite much." The shopkeeper chuckled, she was a woman in her late 60's, her grey hair was tied up in a bun and she was smiling kindly with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Cas looked at Dean worriedly. "It's alright Cas, she's only joking." Dean said, trying not chuckle at Cas behaviour; his shyness was adorable but it did genuinely affect him.

"I..I..I'm sorry, I know it must seem silly but I feel really sick around strangers and as much as I hate it, it can't seem to be helped." Cas said politely, the woman smiled warmly at him and nodded her head.

"Ahhh, you remind me of my son when he was very young, he used to be very shy, couldn't even talk to anyone for a while. He would freeze up and run away, it was so adorable, he soon grew out of that, like most children do I suppose." She sighed nostalgically, and then seemed to realise Cas was still standing behind Dean looking lost. She chuckled warmly. "Don't mind me, I just miss the good old days, feel free to order anything whenever you like." She said warmly.

"I'm sorry, if you would like, I will listen to you talk about your son, you seem to miss him a lot." Cas said a little more confidently, Dean looked to him smiling a little and left Cas to talk to the lady, who happily accepted, while he looked around and picked up what he needed.

Once he had everything, he walked back to the counter and waited until the Lady and Cas were finished talking. She smiled and walked briskly over to Dean, which was inspiring for someone her age and she began to type prices into her till.

"Would you like anything else my dears?" She asked kindly.

"Yeah could I have that pie over there." Dean said politely, pointing over to the strawberry pie. Cas smiled happily, which quickly faded when he noticed someone else come in to the shop and he quickly walked over to stand by Dean.

"Hello Michael, I'll be with you in a second I'm just serving these gentlemen." The lady called to the man that walked in and then she turned to Cas, "don't be shy deary, there's nothing to be afraid off. That's my son Michael." She said, Cas looked over, practically melding with Dean and the man smiled over to them awkwardly.

"Hello," Cas said shyly, Dean smiled and said "Hi" politely and took the boxes of baked goods into his arms.

"Thank you." Dean said, he smiled at Cas warmly before turning to walk out, Cas held the door open for him and did the same for when they were getting into the car. Dean set the boxes onto Cas' lap so he could drive and began the drive back to the motel.

"She was a very nice lady." Cas said smiling.

"What did she talk to you about?" Dean asked curiously.

"She talked about her son and his shyness, she also tried to teach me how to beat mine, although, I don't think it'll work. She also talked about you," Cas said, his cheeks tinted pink and he looked down shyly.

"What did she say?" Dean asked chuckling

"She said that I was to look after you and hold onto you for as long as I could. I told her I've been trying although it's not easy to do it since I've become human. She looked at me strangely and I explained to her I used to be an angel and I was better at protecting you then." He looked down sadly when he said that but continued. "But, I promised her that I would do whatever I can from now on and I won't let the shyness beat me." Cas finished. Dean nearly swerved the car in shock but he pulled over and turned to him.

"Do you still feel bad about becoming human?" Dean asked quietly.

"No Dean, I did, but not now." Cas said.

"What did she say when you told her you used to be an angel?" Dean asked, he was worried but the woman hadn't said anything about it so she mustn't have taken him too seriously.

"She said that not all angels need wings to fly, I don't understand, angels can teleport but they need wings to fly." Cas said in a confused tone. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Cas, I think she meant that even though you're not an angel anymore, you don't need to be one in order to be there for me. You don't need to be an angel to be one to me." Dean said softly, he hated chick flick moment but he decided that Cas needed this talk and he was glad for it. Cas' eyes widened in shock, he smiled and hugged Dean.

"Thank you Dean." Cas said happily, squeezing Dean tighter when Dean hugged him back.

"Anytime Cas." Dean said, he pulled back and stared Cas. "Let's go, I'm hungry and the pie's not going to eat itself." Dean chuckled and drove to the motel


	11. Chapter 11

Dean opened the door of the Impala and walked around to help Cas out with the boxes. They walked towards the motel and with some careful teamwork, they managed to open the door to Sam's room.

"Grubs up!" Dean called happily, setting the boxes onto the table. Cas did the same and sat down on a chair.

"Hey Cas, you okay?" Sam asked, noticing the bandage around his hand.

"Yes I am Sam, thank you for asking. My hand is a bit swollen but it's nothing I can't handle." Cas replied with a smile on his face. Dean smirked proudly.

"You should be proud Cas, that douche deserved it. How are you feeling Garth?" Dean asked, walking to the cupboard and lifting out four plates.

"I'm doing great, thanks guys for helping me. I mean that dude just kept shouting and shouting in my face and let's just say it was a huge relief to see you three coming towards us." Garth said gratefully, taking a seat at the table.

"I'm just glad he hasn't set out a manhunt for Cas." Sam said, joining everyone at the table.

"He can do that? I mean will people be looking for me in the street and trying to kill me?" Cas asked, looking to Dean anxiously.

"No Cas! What gave you that idea?" Dean asked, sitting down and rubbing circles on Cas' back reassuringly.

"You forget that I have watched humanity for centuries and you should know how most manhunts end." Cas said worriedly.

"Don't worry Cas, it was just a saying. We're not so big on those kind of manhunts anymore. What I mean is, I'm glad he's not pressing charges." Sam explained, smiling kindly.

"Oh." Cas said, his head was tilted to the side slightly and he still looked as puzzled as ever. Dean just shook his head with an amused smile and cut Cas and himself a slice of the strawberry pie and set it onto their plates.

"This is really good." Cas said happily after digging in to his piece of pie.

"It really is." Dean said proudly, wolfing down his own slice.

"Where'd you get this stuff?" Sam asked, a little surprised at the taste of his Jam doughnut.

"A little bakery in town." Dean explained, cutting himself another slice. "Cas you want another slice?" Dean asked, hovering the knife over the pie.

"Yes please Dean. The lady who owned the bakery was really nice to me, even when I told her I used to be an angel." Cas said happily to Sam, causing Sam to almost choke to death on his doughnut.

"That was my reaction, but she seemed to take it pretty well." Dean joked as he patted Sam on the back.

"What..do you mean she took it..well?" Sam asked, clearing his throat a little.

"She helped me cope with my shyness and she gave me a lot of really helpful advice." Cas said cheerfully, lifting his plate and putting it in the sink.

"I'm glad she was able to help you." Sam replied, smiling politely.

Dean smiled at Cas and turned to Sam. "Hey Sammy, you got anything more on the case?" Dean asked. Garth sat up quickly with a proud grin.

"Yeah we did, I examined the photographs I took and I hacked into the hospital database and according to the Corrinor's report, the blood was too coagulated to have just been there since early this morning. The DNA showed that the vic was Taylor Frey a 23 year old waitress, last seen alive a few days ago. She was walking home late from work by herself, I think this is when she was attacked and then she was dumped in pieces this morning, which would mean that someone would have had to have kept a jar of her blood to spread out under the pieces." Sam finished, sounding disgusted.

"Also, I think I saw the Chief's son in the crowd this morning. I'm not sure though, I only caught a glimpse of him before the Chief hit you." Garth added.

"He was there?" Dean asked shocked.

"I think so but I can't be sure." Garth said warily.

"I checked through the records again and Gordon's van is frequently seen near the warehouses in the industrial estate so I'm thinking we should investigate it tonight." Sam said calmly, taking out his laptop.

"Is that where he would be keeping his victims?" Cas asked curiously.

"I think so, but we can't know for sure until we look for ourselves. Although, there are so many warehouses in that area, we'd have to split up in order to check all of them in one night." Sam said, the sound of him typing on the laptop filling the silence of the room.

Dean nodded like he had just made a decision. "Alright. We'll split up but Cas stays with me." Dean said determinedly.

"Like I expected anything different." Sam said with a smirk, without looking up from his laptop.

"Won't that inconvenience you all if we need to split up to find the warehouse Gordon is using?" Cas asked worriedly.

"No it's fine Cas." Dean said, looking at Cas with determined green eyes.

"Dean. I shall not be a burden to you. I can handle myself!" Cas said exasperatedly.

"And what if the one warehouse you go into just happens to be the one that has all the zombies in it?" Dean said angrily.

"I assure you Dean, if I even have a suspicion that there is one zombie in any warehouse I will run to you and beg you to take care of it for me." Cas said sarcastically, surprising Dean.

"Are you using sarcasm Cas?" Dean asked, trying and failing to hold back a smirk causing Cas to smile a little.

"The situation and your protectiveness required desperate measures." Cas said amusedly.

"Cas, you know I only wanna look out for you and it doesn't hurt to have back-up. Garth can back-up Sam so it makes it fair." Dean said glaring at Garth when Cas looked to him for confirmation.

"Oh...Yes okay. I'll be Sam's back-up!" Garth confirmed. Sam smirked and rolled his eyes, listening to the conversation but still working on his laptop.

"So we're splitting up into teams?" Cas asked curiously. Dean smiled, trying to hide his relief as comprehension crossed Cas' features.

"Yes. We're in teams Cas, I know you can hold your own. You're not a burden Cas so stop feeling like you are." Dean said gently, his cheeks going a little red at having this conversation in front of his younger brother and friend.

"Thank you Dean. I don't mean to feel like one but I just want to help as much as I can." Cas said, his face lighting up at what Dean had said.

"Guys, I have the details here. We can go now or wait a few hours until then." Sam informed them all, finally looking up from his laptop.

"Let's go now. I'll be glad to get this case over and done with." Dean said, standing up and walking towards the motel room door with Cas quickly following behind him.

"Alright, I'm just gonna go to my motel and grab any supplies I need. We'll meet back here before we head out." Garth said, grabbing his keys and standing also.

"Okay. I'm just going to get a few more details down before we go too." Sam added. Dean nodded, holding Cas' uninjured hand with a smile and walked out, Garth following them out with a wave to Sam and a polite nod to Dean and Cas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the day but I promise I shall be working on the rest soon :)


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